29.1.06

China's Global Reach, by George Zhibin Gu

Author Interview: China's Global ReachQ. "George, you grew up in China during a very difficult time, especially during the Cultural Revolution. How has this impacted your thinking today in terms of how you view China?

A. GEORGE ZHIBIN GU: Well, while I was growing up in China, China experienced a cultural revolution, aswell as people's communes in the countryside. It was chaotic, it was characterized by abusive government power which was expanding into everybody's lives. What is more, it was an entirely closed society. Inother words, every citizen had to work for the government to make a living. So the government exactly demanded the servitude of citizens, but today everything has changed fundamentally. So, in my mind two things are most crucial for modern society and progress, that is, having an open society is a must; secondly, private initiatives; people must rely upon their own efforts for progress and prosperity. That is exactly what has been happening for the last 25 years. This makes all the difference. The third one is that international participation in any country's development is a necessity, otherwise development slows down tremendously. So, the situation in China and India shows [this is] the case.( Texto da World Association of International Scholars)